Previews: THE ADDAMS FAMILY at Curtain Call

They’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky, but they’re totally irresistible. Especially when you will be seeing some of Stamford’s most talented young actors and rising professionals. Yes, it’s The Addams Family, the hit musical comedy, produced by Curtain Call’s Summer Youth Theater and directed by Curtain Call master director Joel Harris Fenster.

 This is not a workshop production, but a full-scale show cast with young actors who have already had experience performing on stage. Many had taken acting classes at Curtain Call. These productions are a testament to the quality of those classes. Many of the annual Summer Youth Theater shows feature as many as 55 performers and 25 crew members. The Stamford Youth Theater, now in its 33 year, has its own Board of Directors, consisting of young talent and working with Education Director Brian J. Bianco, who is charge of all the education program for adults and kids at Curtain Call. But it’s the board members who make a lot of the decisions, choose the show, and interview candidates for directors. Fenster says he was “honored to be interviewed by these kids. They ask very pointed questions and ask about what your vision would be for the show. How I would incorporate younger kids into the show. How I would handle various situations. What kind of tree would you be if you were a tree. To me, that’s a fun part of the process. Even if I hadn’t got the job, it’s a fun experience.”

The Addams Family musical is about meeting and accepting Wednesday’s “normal” fiancé and his family. Or is it about the Beineke family’s getting used to their son’s fiancée’s unusual family? At any rate, it’s something many families can relate to.

The show has a killer cast: Nico Rinaldi, who has charisma oozing from every pore, plays a dashing Gomez and the stunning Maddy Galgano, who has appeared in multiple Curtain Call productions, plays Morticia. Lola Duhov, recent nominee of the Stephen Sondheim award for her role in The Prom, plays Wednesday and Alexander Patel plays Pugsley. Jay Reyes plays Fester, Grace Huber portrays Grace Huber. Andrew Meli, Paul Ferris, and Emilee Maguire play Lurch, Thing, and Cousin Itt. The Beineke family is played by Jared Shuford (Lucas), and Pierce Colfer and Gabrielle Tapper as his parents, Mal and Alice.

Rounding out the cast are Aliana Aspesi, Marley Bramble. Ava Carney, Mia Caurant, Addison Clear,

Sebastian Colfer, Lilian Del Portillo, Eli Donahue, Grace Eagleton, Paul Ferris, Bernardo Gaeta, Katherine Hadermayer, Zachary Helgesen, Ava Kampf, Robert Kateen, Tessa Madden, Emilee Maguire, Bevin Maher, Lily-Grace Maher, Sophia Masone, Michael McArthur, Leia Potenza, Katelyn Ruiz, Ava Sanchez, Emma Seferidis, Poppy Sisko, Masha Ulyanov, and Chloe Voigt as the ancestors. Kaylee Deenihan and Katie Romano are the dance captains.

Fenster explains that the cast members, being young, don’t necessarily resemble the actors we’ve seen on Broadway and in the two films. But “you want to be flexible so you won’t be beholden to the looks.” More important, as experienced amateur performers, they bring a lot to the table. Rinaldi came in with some great ideas that they incorporated into the show. Once, during a rehearsal, a piece of furniture was left on the stage between scenes. Rinaldi suggested leaving it there. “What if I’m on this couch, like at my therapist’s office?” Belli is not tall as the traditional Lurch is, so he will wear platform shoes. He’s solid and has a deep base voice, so it’s a good fit. Reyes will wear a bald cap for his role as Uncle Fester. Fester thought about other productions when it came to the role of Thing. He decided to have Ferris dress all in black except for his hand and just move around on stage. A lot of the show, Fenster notes, is on Lurch’s shoulders and he is confident that Maguire can, well, shoulder that responsibility. “Grandma is not 102, but she has a lot of quirks and brings a lot of energy” from Huber. “She came up with a lot of funny ticks that work well with the character.” Fenster adds, “Reyes definitely has his own take on Fester, but it definitely works with the character. It’s a nice change of pace.” He also comes up with things that are really funny, such as a visual joke when he announces that’s almost six o’clock, but he wasn’t wearing a watch, so he turned to Grandma.

With regards to the script, there are a number of references that young people won’t understand. For example, when Grandma cries “I am Sparticus!” Grace was unaware that it referred to the film. So Fenster suggested that she do a Google search, watch a clip, and “see if you can make it work!”

The backstage crew members are no slouches, either. Helping Fenster are Music Director Matthew Stofli, Choreographer Jennifer Silverman, Producer Brian J. Bianco, Production Stage Manager Halle Hart, Stage Manager Samantha Millette, Assistant Stage Managers Lana Busch and Jake Sperling, Set Designer Martin Scott Marchitto (who has designed the set for The Addams Family at another theater, Lighting Director Scott Baroca, Costume Designer Megan Latte Morello, and Technical Director Wayne Yaeger. The rest of the crew is comprised of Emily Castellanos, Sophia Castellanos, Amber Cruz, Kristina DeLelle, Miles DeSantis, Sabina Farley, Malcolm Fenster, Skyla Johnson, Zaac Lake, Aviva Moss, Chloe Naudet, Finn Plantemoli, Dylan Ramirez, and Chloe Simner.

The book is by Rick Elice and music and lyrics are by Andrew Lippa. The characters are based of course on the ones created by Charles Addams, and audience affection for them remains solid, strong, and immortal. “At the end of the day we’re all weird,” laughs Fenster. “Weird is normal.” He quotes a line in the play, ‘We’re not losing a daughter, we’re gaining three Beinekes.”

Performances take place on August 4, 5, 10, 11, 12 at 7:30 p.m. and August 6 at 2:00 p.m. (August 6 and 9 at 7:30 p.m. are on hold in case performances need to be added.) For tickets, visit https://curtaincall.csstix.com/?_ga=2.179337572.135775375.1690297568-767392290.1689198701.

If you’re not familiar with the award-winning theater company Curtain Call, now is a great opportunity to see some of what it offers. It is Stamford’s longest-running, and only nonprofit producing theatre company. There are year-round performances in The Kweskin Theatre and The Dressing Room Theatre which are located at the beautiful Sterling Farms campus on Newfield Avenue.  In addition to 12 full-scale productions each year, Curtain Call produces the annual Shakespeare on the Green production in a set that evokes images of The Globe Theatre outside London. There are also other special events including interactive murder mysteries, concerts, comedy nights, and more. For more information, please call 203-329-8207 or visit www.curtaincallinc.com.

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